Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.
An ad at my local Busan subway station this winter, which I’d never given a second glance. I had no reason to—with a title and image like that, I’d actually assumed it was for some kind of beauty app or filter.
Then I found myself waiting in front of it for a train one day, and got to reading:
It reads:
당신의 얼굴 괜찮습니까?
딥페이크로 인한 성 범죄가 매년 증가하고 있습니다. 성폭력처벌법 제14조의 2에 의거해 타인의 얼굴이나 신체 등을 허위 영상물로 만들거나 배포하면 5년 이하 징역 또는 5천만 원 인하의 벌금에 처하게 됩니다.
Is Your Face Okay?
Sex crimes caused by deepfakes are increasing every year. Pursuant to Article 14-2 of the Sexual Violence Punishment Act, anyone who creates or distributes a false video of another person’s face or body is subject to imprisonment for up to 5 years or a fine of up to 50 million won.
Unfortunately, there’s no further information about it on the Busan Gender-based Violence Prevention Center website, nor does Googling/Navering yield any results. Who is it actually aimed at then?
It may seem obvious. But based on the text alone, actually I assumed potential perpetrators. Only, reading the text after the “Is Your Face Okay?” headline confused me. That headline appears more addressed to victims, and indeed a Korean friend assures me that it is.
So, the purpose of both combined is simply to remind victims that deepfakes are illegal? I’ll concede that is probably much more likely than the more creative alternative I’d imagined—that the headline is a double entendre intended to mean “Aren’t You Red-faced/Ashamed?” to potential perpetrators, then letting them know what might happen if they get caught.
But still, a mere bland rehashing of the law feels like a missed opportunity. Without disputing the Center’s good intentions for a moment, I don’t think most victims would be unaware that deepfakes are illegal. Rather, more of an issue would be that victims would feel embarrassed, ashamed, and/or that they themselves were to blame for them in some way. IThey would likely need assurances that these are not at all the case, and that they could receive all the help, support, and lack of judgement they needed at the Center.
In not highlighting either then, I think the poster really misses the mark.
What do you think?
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If you reside in South Korea, you can donate via wire transfer: Turnbull James Edward (Kookmin Bank/국민은행, 563401-01-214324)
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